The present invention relates to a recording system such as a video cassette recorder system for recording a video signal and reproducing the recorded video signal with an index search function and, more particularly, to a character-displayed index search system which record both an index signal of the video signal and information about each program and displays the index signal and the information on a screen of a character generator in an index search mode.
The index search function of a conventional video cassette recorder records the index signal at a position in a recording mode or playing back mode and, if a user wants to find the position where the index signal is recorded, the tape is moved at a maximum speed and played back from the position where the index signal is detected.
If two or more index signal are recorded in the video cassette recorder with such an index search function, a fast search mode is performed from a starting position of the tape and, if the recorded index signal is detected while performing the fast search mode, the mode is converted to a reproducing mode and thus the program of the tape is reproduced for example, for about 4 or 5 seconds. If an additional mode conversion signal is not entered during the reproducing mode, the tape is moved in fast search mode again until the next index signal is detected. By repeating this operation, the program of the tape is reproduced for a few seconds whenever the index signal is detected. Thus, the user can find the desired program by viewing the screen.
In summary, the index signal recorded in the tape is detected in the fast search mode and the program of the tape is reproduced for a few seconds from the position where the index signal is detected, and the user views a short clip of each recorded program on the screen. However, in such a video cassette recorder system, it takes too much time to find the desired program plus, the programs can not be reproduced in a desired program order.